Crossing Over
by Naboo-ted
Summary: On a shuttle headed for Endor, the dying Darth Vader crosses over from the natural world into a strange room. It isn't until a familiar voice calls out his Jedi name-Anakin-when he realizes where he truly is. Meeting familiar faces along the way, Anakin Skywalker begins his transition from a dying creature into a Jedi force ghost.


**Crossing Over**

On the brink of his death, the monstrous robotic shell of a man laid on a cold bed next to his seated son. The chains that were once the power of the dark side had loosened, his eyes rested steadily on his son flying the ship back to Endor. Darth Sidious had been defeated. The war within the galaxy and himself had ceased. Light had won. As his eyes began to close—his vision blurring to darkness—a familiar voice rang through his ears:

"Anakin!"

His vision fluttered back to normalcy. He glanced over at his son… still flying the shuttle. His gasps for air were few and far between. The darkness was returning. The final step in his journey was nearing. As his last breath escaped his lips, the black shrouded him.

"Anakin!"

Anakin sat up. His vision was groggy with clouds of machinery and shillouttes of not too distant objects. He felt his chest. No breastplate. He felt his face. No scars. The mechanical suit that entrapped him had vanished. He was human again.

"Anakin!"

His eyes darted around the room, the visions becoming clearer. He began to shout back to the faint voice but faltered. Could he speak? What did he sound like? It had been so long since his voice was that of a human rather than droid.

Anakin inhaled deeply and shouted, "I'm here!"

"Anakin!" The voice replied, now directly behind him.

Anakin whirled himself around. A cloaked figure was in front of him, patiently extending a hand. He stared intently at the outstretched palm. Was this Darth Sidious?

"W-Who are you?"

The hand retracted quickly, causing Anakin to spring back on the bed. The hood of the creature dropped and revealed an elderly man with wisps of white hair, full goatee, and a wrinkled smile.

"Well hello there."

Anakin beamed as he sprang toward the man. They embraced as Anakin whispered, "Obi-Wan." He pulled back, taking in the full glory of his former Jedi Master. Obi-Wan stood proudly and smiled warmly at his pupil.

"Anakin, I must say, it is wonderful to have you back." Obi-Wan said.

"I feel… free… There is a sense of freedom I have not felt in a very long time, Master." Anakin replied, once again checking his body for his robotic suit.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Master? _That's _a word I haven't heard from you in a while."

Anakin's smile faded. He glanced down at the floor in silence. Obi-Wan rested a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

A tear dripped from his eye as Anakin murmured, "I'm sorry I failed you. I betrayed the Jedi Order. I killed Master Windu. I killed… the youngli-"

"You mustn't allow your feelings to interfere like this." Obi-Wan replied.

"I was the Chosen One. I was to bring peace to the galaxy."

"Did you not destroy the Emperor? Did you not save your son?"

"I was a coward."

Obi-Wan seated himself next to his padawan. He wrapped his arm around Anakin, allowing the man to weep softly. After a few minutes of echoed sniffles, Anakin glimpsed around the room. He was no longer in a shuttle, rather, a vast room of chairs similar to the Jedi Council's chamber. The empty plush seats were assembled in a circle. To the right of the circle, a door. To the left of the circle, a statue of Anakin.

Obi-Wan noticed Anakin's amazement at the statue and chuckled, "See? I'm not the only one who thinks you're a hero."

"Why?" Anakin stammered, still shell shocked over the marbled bust of himself.

"Anakin, _you_ brought peace to the galaxy. You fulfilled your destiny in defeating the Sith." The man shuddered, rising from the bed and slowly inspecting the statue. He began to laugh. The familiar young laugh of his pupil is what Obi-Wan missed most of all. Obi-Wan remained seated on the bed, grinning at the Chosen One.

"Anakin," he said, "there is someone else who wishes to speak with you." Obi-Wan motioned toward the door, his figure slowly dissolving. Anakin, in astonishment, watched as his former master disbanded into air and left him alone in the room.

The door expeditiously unfastened. In the doorway, a petite figure awaited. Her body was practically glowing, her dark hair tied neatly into a traditional senator's bun. Her dress was flowing, white and rose colored stains decorated the silk as if it had been washed in fields of wildflowers. She was smiling, her eyes bright with excitement.

Anakin let out a small cry and rushed toward her, scooping her up in his arms and twirling her around the room. "Padme!"

Padme giggled as she held her husband, the two locked together in the center of the seats. Anakin wiped away his tears, his sniffling breaking the silence. Padme continued to hold him close as her hand brushed against his back.

Finally, Padme glanced up at Anakin, "Oh Ani, I've been waiting for so long. I never want to let you go."

Anakin coughed out a laugh, his tears staining his cheeks. He could not believe Padme had returned to him after the decades of mental torture following her death. Her death… He _killed _Padme. Why was she happy to see him?

"Padme," Anakin's voice lowered as he nudged her away, "I… I can't believe… I… I can't believe I _killed you._" He wailed and moved to the other side of the room away from the confused woman. She fixed her hair and swiftly followed him, her hands creeping up his back onto his broad shoulders.

"Ani, I was brokenhearted. You followed a path toward the Dark Side. But I too fell victim to the power of the Emperor."

Anakin glanced back at his wife, "How?"

Padme broke away and folded her arms, holding herself in a gloomy pose. "The Emperor warned me many times about the fall of the Republic. When the Empire was established, I sent Bail Organa back to Alderaan to alert the people of the injustice. _I _went to visit the Emperor himself. I couldn't believe that Sheev Palpatine was so blind toward democracy."

"He was Darth Sidious."

Padme swallowed and nodded, "I know. As I met with him, he began explaining the power of the Dark Side in response to the Jedi deforming his face. He warned me about you… How worried you were that I was to die."

Padme's voice began to shake. Anakin squeezed her tightly, kissing the top of her head. Padme continued, "He told me he saw your death on Mustafar at the hands of Obi-Wan. He said… he needed you…"

"He was a bad man." Anakin muttered.

"I said what could I do to save you. He said there was no use trying. He explained that only the most powerful Sith lords could attain the power of life force."

Anakin's heartbeat began to quicken. "Padme… please don't tell me you…"

"I had no choice. I promised that if I could not convince you to return to the Jedi Order, he could use my life force to save you."

"Padme!" Anakin exclaimed.

"I had no choice!" Padme cried, tightening her grip on Anakin.

Anakin and Padme held each other close, weeping softly into each other. "He sensed the force in our children. He was going to use their life forces to mold you into the strongest Sith Lord in history. I couldn't save myself... but I saved them before it was too late. I hid them from the Emperor. He could only use my life force enough to keep you alive until your suit was created."

Padme wretched at the thought of the black suit. "The children... I placed them in the trust of the Jedi."

"Luke and Leia."

"I dreaded giving them away. I was heartbroken. I knew they were in good hands with Obi-Wan and Master Yoda."

Anakin and Padme kissed, their souls become one once again. Anakin pulled away, nestling his face in the side crevice of her neck, "I love you." Padme sighed and replied, "I love you, Ani."

Just then, the door whizzed open again. Obi-Wan stepped into the room, behind him a familiar creature hobbled in. His cane clacked against the hard floor and small grunts escaped his body.

"Master Yoda?"

"Good to see me, is it not?" Yoda replied and cackled loudly. "Reacquanted with Senator Amidala, you are. Good… Good…"

Anakin snickered and bowed to the powerful Jedi. Yoda chuckled softly and glanced up at Obi-Wan, "A powerful Sith Lord, he once was. A powerful Jedi, he will always be."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. He motioned to Anakin, "Come. We must leave."

Padme felt Anakin's embrace tighten. She smiled softly and whispered, "Go, Ani. I will be here when you come back. Don't worry."

Yoda purred melodiously to himself waited patiently for Anakin to join them. Anakin hesitantly crossed the room toward the doorway. Obi-Wan smiled and draped his arm around Anakin. The three Jedi left the room, the door snapping shut with a thud.

The hallway was much larger than Anakin had anticipated. It was a long and wide corridor with no windows and a single door at the far ending. The three stopped their stroll as Yoda nudged Anakin. The creature exclaimed, "See this, you must! Master Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan nodded and yelled, "Behold! The Chosen One!"

The exclamation rang into the empty corridor, its echoes bouncing off of the walls and into space. After a few moments of silence, figures began to form on either side of the corridor, forming a centerline path between them. Yoda motioned for Anakin to walk ahead with himself and Obi Wan trailing behind.

Anakin met eye contact with the bodies. Ki-Adi-Mundi, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tin, Shaak Ti, Plo Kloon, Sora Bulq, Qui Gon Jin and countless other Jedi looked on him with prominent gazes. Anakin meandered down the long line of Jedi, occasionally stopping to bow or hug one of his old friends. At the end, near the door, stood Mace Windu with a stern look. Anakin felt a sudden rush of guilt and dread course through his body as he timidly paced up to the severe Jedi.

His eyes met Mace Windu's. The Jedi's look began to melt into a pleasant and cool smile. "Welcome back, Anakin Skywalker." The two bowed to each other and the entire hallway cheered with joy.

The door behind Mace WIndu opened and revealed a forest with shrubs and logs nearly blocking the entrance. Anakin glanced back at Obi-Wan and Yoda—who had caught up to him—and flashed an unsure look.

"As a Jedi, you have the power to visit your son and daughter any time you wish through the ways of the Jedi force ghost." Obi-Wan explained, "Focus your feelings. Center yourself."

Anakin gripped his eyes shut. Visions of Padme flooded his mind. He envisioned her at her happiest: their wedding on Naboo. The thought dissolved into his son, Luke, holding him on the shuttle ramp.

His eyes widened open to reveal Yoda and Obi-Wan in their blue and ghostlike state. He glanced down at himself. The floor shone through his arm. He went to touch his face to discover there was no feeling. He smiled a familiar boyish smile. Yoda nodded to Mace Windu. The Jedi motioned to Anakin to step into the forest.

"You have a celebration to attend." He bellowed. Anakin—still grinning—nodded and stepped into the forest alongside Obi Wan and Yoda. From a far, he watched his children laugh and celebrate the freedom they brought the galaxy. Luke, positioned upright against a tree trunk, locked eyes with his father and smiled. Anakin, Obi-Wan and Yoda watched proudly as the new generation of Jedi reveled in merriment.

Anakin Skywalker watched as the suit of his former self disintegrated into ashes. The mask that trapped his senses melted into the logs burning brightly. Fireworks painted the nighttime sky with vibrant colors of purple and blue, rounds of cheers from partiers exclaiming their delight at each eruption. The last fragment of the suit burnt into ash as an Ewok prodded the bonfire with a stick.

Darth Vader was officially dead.

Anakin Skywalker was reborn.


End file.
